Podcast
Alberta Unbound
Hosted by Paula Simons · ENGLISH
In this podcast, Paula Simons, an Independent senator from Alberta, sets out to debate and deconstruct some of the myths that define and bind her province.
65episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Kreisel Lecture (Part 1): The Lust for Lightning
4d ago00:29:39Tap to summarizeEvery year, the Centre for Literatures in Canada at the University of Alberta hosts the Kreisel Lecture, where authors are invited to deliver a lecture on a topic of their choosing. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the centre broke the lecture into three parts, featuring authors Richard Van Camp, Shani Mootoo, and Lise Gaboury-Diallo. Senator Paula Simons was invited to open the lecture series and moderate a panel featuring the three authors. The first episode of this special three-part series includes the introduction from Senator Simons on Henry Kreisel, followed by Richard Van Camp's lecture on living in Fort Smith, Indigenous literature, and begging to be struck by lightning over and over again. Curious to learn more about the lecture and the authors? Visit these links below: The Kreisel Lecture: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/literatures-in-canada/programming/kreisel-lecture-series/index.html Henry Kreisel: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/henry-kreisel Richard Van Camp: https://richardvancamp.com/books/
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Security Alert: Patrick Lennox on Foreign Interference in Alberta politics
May 1500:30:03Tap to summarizeThe fate of Alberta’s separatist referendum is up in the air. But Alberta’s premier and Alberta separatists aren’t the only ones who want a vote to go ahead. There’s mounting evidence of foreign-backed social media campaigns, trying to influence the outcome of the sovereignty debate. Edmonton author and analyst Patrick Lennox assesses the risks to Alberta democracy - and national security. You can read his latest Walrus articles here: Can Alberta Protect Its Secession Vote from Trump? | The Walrus How Did an Alberta Separatist Group Get Its Hands on the Voter List? | The Walrus
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Marty Chan and the Mystery of the Racism Renaissance
Apr 1300:40:25Tap to summarizeEdmonton playwright, documentary-maker and award-winning children’s author Marty Chan on growing up Chinese-Canadian, book bans, Bill 28 and racism’s revival tour. To see more of Chan's work, visit his website https://martychan.com for more details.
Transcribe →Just Say No: 9 questions, 5 voices
Mar 2301:04:41Tap to summarizePolitical scientists Melanee Thomas and Yasmeen Abu-Laban, political strategists Ken Boessenkool and Zain Velji, and former Director of the Centre for Constitutional Studies at the University of Alberta Patricia Paradis, dive into the nine referendum questions and how Albertans should respond. Here are the nine referendum questions below: 1. Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities? 2. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services? 3. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially funded social support programs? 4. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the health care and education systems? 5. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election? 6. Have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts? 7. Abolish the unelected federal Senate? 8. Allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education, and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs? 9. Better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?
Transcribe →New World (Dis)order
Feb 1800:34:40Tap to summarizeAn Alberta Unbound special episode: a live recording of a panel discussion titled "Alberta and the New World Disorder," happened on February 6th, 2026, as part of the University of Alberta's International Week. Panelists the Hon. Anne McLellan, Dr. Rickey Yada, and Dr. Charlie Mballa discussed trade, geopolitics, and a tad-bit of Alberta separatism, in their discussion moderated by Sen. Paula Simons.
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A Fine Balance
Jan 2800:24:50Tap to summarizePilar Martinez, outgoing CEO of the Edmonton Public Library, on the role of libraries in the age of AI and book bans.
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Their Chemical Romance: Dr. David Wishart and Debby Waldman
Dec 1000:35:24Tap to summarizeAcclaimed Metis scientist David Wishart, a pioneer in the study of metabolomics, and Debby Waldman, an award-winning Jewish-American children's author and journalist, talk about the alchemy that brought them together, and made and kept them Albertans. To read more about Debby's latest work, see her substack here: https://debbywaldman.substack.com/ And to learn more about the Gerhard Herzberg award and David's research, see this link: David Wishart - Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering - NSERC
Transcribe →Home and Laughing, with Faris Hytiaa
Nov 1300:30:38Tap to summarizeBorn in Toronto. Raised in Khartoum. Launched in Lethbridge. Calgary-based stand-up Faris Hyttia has a life story, and a comic sensibility, like no other. His parents sent him from Sudan to Alberta to become an engineer. But fate had other, funnier, ideas. More of his comedy can be seen here: Homesick Just for Laughs: Dog People vs Cat People Telus Storyhive: Send Help Instagram & TikTok: @farrooossi More information: https://linktr.ee/farrooossi Recordings of Faris' shows were provided by the comic himself and OK Dope Productions.
Transcribe →Forever Canadian
Oct 300:22:11Tap to summarizeOnce, Thomas Lukaszuk was the Conservative deputy premier of Alberta. Today, he's leading the campaign to keep Alberta in Confederation. So is his anti-separation petition a great way to drum up Canadian patriotism? Or is he playing right into the separatists' hands? Thomas sits down with Alberta Senator Paula Simons to explain his strategy - and his passion for the country that granted his own refugee family asylum.
Transcribe →CNN: An Exit Interview With Nonso Morah
Jun 30, 202500:34:00Tap to summarizeAward-winning spoken word poet Nonso Morah on growing up Nigerian-Canadian in rurban Alberta - and on what it means to be an Albertan in Canada today
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